The average global temperature on the planet’s surface marked a record 17.18 degrees Celsius (62.92 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, July 4. This was reported on Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The new record, since records began in 1979, surpassed the previous record of 17.01 Celsius (62.62 Fahrenheit) recorded last Monday, the agency said, a few days into summer in the northern hemisphere.
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The combination of an early El Niño and climate change has led to warnings from scientists who have predicted this to be one of the hottest years on record.
In early June NOAA had signaled the onset of El Niño, a weather phenomenon linked to rising temperatures in the equatorial eastern Pacific Ocean.
China’s meteorological services warned of extreme conditions during the month of July, which could lead to “natural catastrophes”.
The Asian giant suffers torrential rains on one side and high temperatures on the other. pic.twitter.com/nzb1gQl9n0
– Telemundo (@TelemundoUY) July 4, 2023
According to NOAA, the El Niño effect could cause a rainy summer in the southern United States and along the Gulf of Mexico coast.
Robert Rohde, of Berkeley Earth at the University of California, said in a Twitter message that “this combination could well bring even hotter days in the next six weeks.”
The National Weather Service (NWS) forecasts for this Wednesday temperatures of more than 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) in Las Vegas (Nevada), El Paso (Texas) and Albuquerque (New Mexico), which could reach 43.3 Celsius (110 Fahrenheit) in Phoenix, Arizona.
Likewise, temperatures between 33 and 37 Celsius (90-100 Fahrenheit) are expected in San Antonio and Dallas (Texas), Jacksonville and Tampa (Florida), Oklahoma City (Oklahoma), Memphis (Tennessee), New Orleans, (Louisiana), and Washington DC.
